What's Left of Me
by shirozora
Summary: A voice from the other side knows who Sora is. Maybe he'll take me to see Sora. And maybe he can tell me who he is. DISCONTINUED
1. The Things That Started in the Past

Author's Note: This is my answer to **ninja.butterfliie**'s contest, and my frustration with the lack of worthy fanfiction in the Kingdom Hearts sub fanfic-dom. I started reading _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ fics because there was absolutely nothing worth reading.

You want to know what's worth reading? Check my LJ.

Think on it.

This is a 5-part story, just like _Eyes On Me._ This is also a contest entry and within canon.

Copyrights: Characters and main storyline are the copyright of Square-Enix and Disney. This within-canon storyline is mine.

**XXX**

**What's Left of Me  
****«1 – The Things That Started in the Past»**

_"Naminé? Naminé…? What's happening to me?"  
_"_Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi."  
_"_Kairi…I know you. You're that girl he likes."  
_"_Who? Please, a name!"  
_"_I'm Roxas."  
_"_Okay, Roxas, but can you tell me HIS name?"  
_"_You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi!"  
_"…"  
"_O-kay, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S'!"_

**XXX**

"_Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi."_

"_Kairi…I know you. You're that girl he likes."_

"_Who? Please, a name!"_

"_I'm Roxas."_

_Roxas. Roxas…who the heck is Roxas? I've never heard of him before, and I don't think I've ever met him. How does he know me? How does he know who I am? How does he know _him_? How does he know who Sora is? This…this makes no sense…_

Kairi blew a hot jet of air out of her mouth, blowing her bangs up and out of her eyes. She tapped her pencil on the paper packet, glaring at it but not reading it. The teacher at the head of the class was lecturing as she paced back and forth in front of the white board; the floor creaked with every other step. Teenagers were fidgeting in their seats, tapping their pencils like she was or doodling in the margins of the handout. Tidus was dozing, his head falling forward and jerking back up every few seconds.

"…impressions are more powerful than ideas, because impressions are what's immediately felt first…"

No one could understand this new school curriculum. Since when did anyone need philosophy?

"…simple ideas come from thinking through impressions; complex ideas are a combination. That's how people come up with the idea of mermaids…"

She sighed and rested her head on her hand; she could feel the pressure on her elbow but ignored it. Pain was a welcome distraction from Miss Trepe, the new young blonde teacher who was currently the object of affection of at least half the boys in the class. She turned her head slightly to see Wakka gaping at the teacher; last time she checked, he held that same posture thirty minutes ago at the beginning of class.

"…impressions are more powerful than ideas. They're the first experiences people have; they're the most vivid, the most forceful, and impress themselves on the mind much stronger than ideas…"

_Kairi…I know who you are. You're that girl he likes._

_I'm Roxas._

She could've asked him to clarify himself, instead of demanding if he knew Sora's name. Not just any person would know who she was, and how she was connected to Sora. Why didn't she ask him?

_But I wanted to know that boy's name. Selphie thought I was making him up. But I wasn't. And Roxas proved it. Sora's real. But who's Roxas? How'd he know? I don't understand; I've never met anyone named Roxas but he knows me. He _knows_ me._

"…how we perceive the properties, inherent characteristics, of objects around us, as well as the external world. Always our impressions come before our ideas of the impressions…"

_Roxas…who are you? I've been wondering. I can't keep you out of my mind. How did you contact me? We're complete strangers, and you weren't even looking for me. You were looking for someone else…but you found me. And you knew me. You knew me and Sora. But how?_

"…impressions. The desk you sit at may be beige, but when one turns off the lights, that beige color disappears. So is that property of the object inherent? Can you really…"

_Why am I even thinking about this? I don't know you. You…it's Sora. You led me to Sora, at least. I can thank you for that. What's wrong with me? I don't know you, and I can't stop thinking about you. It's Sora. I should be thinking about Sora. Sora and Riku. I should be thinking about them. But I want to know…how you knew us. Do you know Riku, too? No, no, I shouldn't. I'm not even talking to you. I'm talking to myself. What's wrong with me? What the heck is wrong with me-_

"…Miss Kairi? Miss Kairi!"

Kairi jumped and turned to Miss Trepe, who was adjusting her glasses as she approached her seat. Kairi looked around quickly and saw that all the students in the classroom were staring at her.

"Y-yes, Miss Trepe?"

The teacher stood at her desk and bent over, leaning against her desk with one hand as she went face to face with Kairi. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Y-yes. Why?"

"You were slapping yourself, Miss Kairi. Is there something bothering you, something that obviously demands more attention than class?"

"I-I-I…"

Her face burned as Kairi tried to look away. It was hard to avoid the glare, though, and Kairi took a deep breath and said, "No, I'm sorry. I was…yes, I'm sorry. I was trying to…stay awake…"

Somewhere across the room a student snorted and a handful of teenage girls giggled. Kairi slumped in her chair, wishing she could sink through the floor and hide from shame.

"All right then. I expect more positive and mature behavior from you, Miss Kairi. And turn to page 5; I've read page 1 twenty minutes ago."

Humiliation stacked on humiliation. Meekly, she turned the pages and folded the stapled corner. She stared at the black letters on the cheap school paper, trying to make sense of "impressions", "ideas", "properties", "external world", and the like but she felt lost. She had no idea how any of them connected or what half of them even meant. She sighed and bowed her head as Miss Trepe returned to the front of the classroom.

"Now, Bishop Berkeley did not believe in the material world…"

**XXX**

It wasn't supposed to happen but it did. They lived in two different dimensions; his was artificial, built on data taken from the real world, the real universe where she lived. He was a bundle of 0's and 1's and a mere memory in the real universe. She was a real physical being who lived amongst other real physical beings. Somehow, in some way, the impermeable barrier between the two realities was breached, and he was able to contact her. Their minds touched.

"_Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi."_

He was trying to reach Naminé, but it wasn't her who answered. It was somebody else.

"_Kairi…I know you. You're that girl he likes."_

Sora's girl. Somehow he reached out to _her_.

_Kairi. You're that girl he likes. You're Sora's girl._

The tram jumped as it rolled over the rails and his mind jolted, the train of thought broken. He looked up, his eyes focusing on the sunset shining through the tram's windows. He wondered if it was the last sunset he'd ever see.

_Sora…you're lucky, you know that? My days…they're numbered. _

Maybe…maybe if he gave some thought, he'd make something of his last days. He knew there was something more he wanted, something he wanted to do before he disappeared from reality forever. He wanted someone to remember him.

_Axel. I've got to find Axel._

**XXX**

"So you're okay now, right? Kairi? Kairi, are you okay now?"

She smiled gently, hefting the book bag on her shoulder to ease the strain on a pressure point. "I'm fine, Selphie. I'm all right. I guess…I guess I was just…thinking too hard during class."

"What were you thinking about?" the younger girl asked curiously. "Wakka told me you were sitting there staring at the desk, slapping both sides of your face like this."

She patted her cheeks, making little slapping sounds. Kairi giggled as Selphie hit herself a bit too hard and squealed in pain.

"Was I really making that much noise? I didn't know," she said lightly.

"He said Miss Trepe was really mad."

"I can't blame her."

"So, what were you thinking about? Tidus said you were in a complete daze when you were doing that."

"I was thinking about…"

She let her voice die as Kairi started thinking. What was she thinking about? Her eyes fell to the sidewalk as she recollected her thoughts but instead her mind wandered and she heard her black shoes grating the sand into the concrete. Somewhere the waves were crashing on the beach and her mind briefly flew there.

"…Kairi?"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, Selphie. I guess…I guess I was thinking about…_him_."

"Sora?"

Kairi nodded slowly but she knew she wasn't thinking about him. She had been thinking about that other boy, the one who said he was Roxas. She was wondering how he knew her.

"You really like Sora, don't you?"

"…yes. Yes, I think I do."

Kairi was sure of her feelings, but curiosity was pulling her away from Sora. Curiosity wanted her to know who Roxas was.

_Who are you, Roxas? Can you hear me? Can you answer me? Who are you? I…I think I want to meet you. Can we meet? Can we have a face-to-face? Can you tell me more about Sora? Can you tell me where he is? Can you-_

The world rolled under her feet and Kairi stumbled, her book bag sliding off her shoulder. Books, papers, and her pencil bag spilled out on the sidewalk and Selphie quickly bent over to pick them up.

Kairi was immobilized, though. She stared down at the mess at her feet and her friend shuffling the workbooks and papers together. Her knees locked together and her hands were tingling.

What was that?

She suddenly staggered and her head spun. She grabbed onto one of the lampposts lining the street and held onto it tightly, waiting for the dizziness to pass.

"Kairi? Kairi, are you okay? You want me to go call for help? Kairi? Kairi! Oh my god! Stay right here; I'll go get help!"

She sank to the ground, hugging the lamppost tightly, begging for her mind to stop spinning. Her heart pounded and her stomach roiled violently; she closed her eyes tightly, curling into a little ball and hoping the wave of nausea would pass.

For the briefest of moments, Kairi felt it. In the midst of the pain she felt it brush her mind. A sense of presence stole through her, a familiar thing, and she immediately reached out for it. Then it was gone and she gasped as she went flying into pain again.

"…Kairi! Kairi!"

Selphie was running back. She could hear others running with her.

"What-what the heck just happened?"

"Oh man, oh man…"

She opened her eyes slowly, saw Selphie kneeling down next to her while Tidus gathered her things and shoved them back into her book bag. Then Wakka was at her side, helping her to her feet. She grabbed onto her friend, and Selphie pressed against her from the other side to help her stay standing.

"Kairi, man, what happened? Did it have anything to do with what happened back in school-"

"Wakka, just shut up."

"I was just asking. She could've been hurting during school, ya, and never said anything."

"Well she would've told _me_-"

"Just shut up, you two. Let's get her home."

Kairi sighed, sagged against them as she took a weary step forward, then another step. Her head was pounding mercilessly and she couldn't focus on what else they were saying.

The presence was back. Kairi took in a sharp breath and grabbed for it. Then it was gone, but it left behind something, an impression. It was telling her something.

_I'm coming_.

**XXX**

Author's Endnote: I hope this starts off a lovely contest entry. I worked on this story for over a month and I hope it's worth all that time I could've put into other more important things, like school, college, and _Gravity of Love._


	2. If We Remember

Author's Note: This is my answer to **ninja-butterfliie**'s contest, and my frustration with the lack of worthy fanfiction in the Kingdom Hearts sub fanfic-dom. I started reading _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ fics because there was absolutely nothing worth reading.

You want to know what's worth reading? Check my LJ.

Think on it.

This is a 5-part story, just like _Eyes On Me._ This is also a contest entry and within canon.

Copyrights: Characters and main storyline are the copyright of Square-Enix and Disney. This within-canon storyline is mine.

**XXX**

**What's Left of Me**

**«2 – If We Remember »**

"…this doesn't make sense!" Selphie exclaimed in frustration as she jabbed at the paper with her pencil. "That's not what sympathy means!"

Kairi groaned and pressed her forehead against the kitchen table. The other girl forced out a sigh and muttered, "I can't believe the school's doing this to us."

"Me, too."

The clock was ticking somewhere.

"Maybe we shouldn't have gone to the store," Selphie suggested as she sat up in her chair.

"Yeah, maybe," the redhead agreed. "Maybe we really shouldn't have gone. It's almost twelve. I should go home."

"Twelve already? But we're not even halfway done!"

"I know. Maybe we should ask Miss Trepe about this tomorrow. Maybe she'll help us-"

"But she explained it all today. We just didn't understand it, or we weren't paying attention."

Kairi paused to think. Miss Trepe already went over this? She didn't recall any of that. She looked at Selphie for an explanation.

"Kairi, were you daydreaming again?"

She sighed. In fact, she had been daydreaming during the entire school day. She did remember Tidus asking how it was possible to eat rice when one's holding the spoon upside down during lunch. The rest of the day was a blur, though.

She was too busy thinking about _him_. That boy, Roxas.

He wouldn't leave her mind.

"There's something else, isn't there? Kairi?"

"No, there isn't," she said, rising to her feet quickly. She shuffled her papers together. "I'm sorry, Selphie. Maybe if I paid attention, we wouldn't have so much trouble over-"

"No, it's okay. In fact, I think it's romantic, daydreaming about a boy you have a crush on."

Kairi blushed as she jammed her papers into her book bag. She smoothed down the front of her pink dress as she pushed the chair in and walked out of the kitchen. Selphie followed her, looking rather dejected. She didn't match the cheery yellow color of her dress at all.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Selphie," Kairi said as she tied the black laces of her pink shoes. She looked up at the brunette. "Cheer up, Selphie. The guy can't be that hard."

"But I don't care about this philosopher. What's the point of philosophy if you have no use for it?"

"Maybe there is. You just have to find it," Kairi suggested as she stood up and straightened her dress again. "Good night, Selphie."

"Night, Kairi."

She opened the door and let herself out of Selphie's house. It was a rather brisk night and she rubbed her bare arms together, now wishing she had heeded her mother's advice and taken a jacket when she left with Selphie to go study. It was warmer in the day; it was the very end of summer and the day was sunny.

Sometimes Kairi wondered why she forgot she lived by the sea.

Gritting her teeth, she walked around Selphie's house onto the beach and set off to her own home, which was at least half a mile away. She could have taken the streets but Kairi wanted to get home as soon as possible, even if the cold coming from the sea turned her lips blue by the time she got to the door.

Kairi hadn't gotten very far when she staggered and fell to her knees in the cold gray-colored sand. Her teeth chattering, she tried to get up but the world swayed again.

"Oh no, not now…" she whispered as she forced herself back onto her feet. And then the presence returned, brushing by her mind, and Kairi gasped. The familiarity of it was unmistakable.

She whirled around, dropping her book bag into the sand. Kairi looked about frantically but it was dark; the crescent moon didn't give off much light but she was able to pick off something standing close to the sea. Something was blocking the glistening reflections on the rolling waves.

Someone was out there, someone who was calling her, beckoning her forward.

"Roxas?" she mouthed, unable to bring her voice forward. It felt like him, but was it possible? Was she just hallucinating or did that boy actually come to Destiny Islands?

_Did he come to find me?_

Cautiously she walked towards the thing by the sea, forgetting her things as they lay on the cold sand, papers blowing away as she rubbed her arms against the cold wind and started walking faster. Then she was running, running because it was freezing and dark, running because she wanted to put a name on the presence before it went away.

The toe of her shoe caught deep in the wet sand and Kairi stumbled again. Something grabbed her by the upper arms and she fell against softness. Shivering, she pressed against it, seeking warmth as she took deep shuddering gasps. It spread its comforting presence around her, pulling her close.

For a long moment she only heard her heart pounding and the waves crashing against the shore.

_Who…who is this person…holding me?_

Kairi took a deep breath and tilted her head up. Her heart shuddered as she leaped back, stumbling again, but this time she caught her footing. She pressed a hand to her heart; it beat so fast it hurt her.

It frightened her but Kairi _knew_ that face. She's seen that face before; she's seen it every day in her memories, every night in her dreams, before it vanished and she was left with nothing to think on. But this wasn't the face of the boy with no name; this person wasn't Sora. They've met before though, haven't they?

The teenage boy turned his head away and raised a hand to keep a strong hold on his black hood, which kept fluttering to the violent sea wind. She stared, her heart racing as she suddenly and surely knew his name.

_I know you._

"Roxas," she said, slowly, surely. "Roxas. It's you. You're Roxas. You…you're here."

_I'm coming._

He looked at her, tossed his head to the side to move his pale yellow bangs out of his eyes, and the corners of his pout turned up slightly.

"Hey, Kairi."

Her mind shut down on her; her legs gave way and Kairi sat down hard on the wet sand. She stared up at him with wide eyes as he quickly stepped forward; Roxas knelt down in front of her, his face at the same level as hers.

"Kairi? Are you…are you okay?"

Her tongue was heavy lead; she struggled to speak.

"I-I-I thought…I thought I was…how'd you-how'd you get…how'd you know I live here? I-I don't…I mean…you know Sora?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes."

"I…Sora…um…sorry…" Kairi mumbled, sounding more and more stupid by the second. Her brain was numb; she couldn't pull out enough words to form a sensible sentence.

"Don't." He stood up and held out his hand. "A hand?"

She looked up at him, then at the offered hand.

"Are you…are you real?"

His expression, frozen in that slight smile, didn't mask the confusion in his dark eyes.

"I mean…" Kairi took a deep breath. How was she supposed to say this? "I mean…you…it's just…the way we talked…you know what I mean, right? All of a sudden you're a voice was in my head, and I…I thought I was going crazy, with voices speaking in my head. Selphie said I must be making Sora up, and now I'm hearing voices…but you said you knew Sora, but…"

Kairi stopped and stared down at the sand. Dampness soaked through her dress and the sea regularly sprayed on her legs but she only rubbed at the droplets as she tried to collect herself and explain what she was trying to say.

"I'm…not supposed to be real," Roxas said reluctantly. "I wasn't supposed to…exist, but I did. And then…things happened."

"What things?"

"I…"

He closed his mouth and refused to say. Kairi wondered if it was a painful story of self-identity; he did look like Sora, so maybe people kept calling him Sora or maybe he thought he was Sora.

"About…about Sora-"

"Would you like to see him?" Roxas suddenly asked.

"You-you know where he is?" she demanded, startled at his offer. "You can take me to him?"

He nodded and gestured with his hand; she took the cue, grabbed it, and he pulled her to her feet. She brushed off the wet sticky sand with her hands, then shivered and rubbed her arms.

"Cold?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Do you…" Roxas hesitated, his eyes elsewhere as he started to speak again. "You want me to…"

He didn't finish but reached out, took her by the arm, and pulled her to him. She squeaked as he pressed her to his body, but instinctively huddled for warmth and a shield against the night's chill.

For a moment the world was still, except for the soft sound of the waves drawn back from the shore. Kairi felt her lungs squeezed but there was no pressure on her chest; she was breathing faster and faster but she wasn't running. She took a deep breath to calm herself and closed her eyes; her heart was beating violently and rapidly in her ear.

His chest rose and fell at regular rhythms, in tandem with the rush and pull of the waves. She found herself trying to match that with her breathing; Kairi wondered why.

"So," he said slowly, "would you like to go see Sora?"

_Sora. He can take me to Sora. I want to see him._

She looked up at the teenager. "I…I'd like to…I want to see him, Roxas."

He nodded, a faint smile on his lips, but she wasn't done talking.

"Let's…go together…Roxas. We'll go together."

**XXX**

Author's Endnote: Winter break is here! Winter break is here! Oh joy to the world! – nances away – Whatever material appears in the future, don't be surprised if I start dabbling into other fandoms.

Please review. Thoughts and opinions and suggestions are deeply appreciated.


	3. The Future Shining Somewhere

Author's Note: This is my answer to **ninja-butterfliie**'s contest, and my frustration with the lack of worthy fanfiction in the Kingdom Hearts sub fanfic-dom. I started reading _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ fics because there was absolutely nothing worth reading.

You want to know what's worth reading? Check my blogger.

Think on it.

This is a 5-part story, just like _Eyes On Me._ This is also a contest entry and within canon.

Copyrights: Characters and main storyline are the copyright of Square-Enix and Disney. This within-canon storyline is mine.

**XXX**

**What's Left of Me**

**«3 – The Future Shining Somewhere»**

Thankfully the mansion was empty, but that didn't make his growing doubts dissipate. As he opened the gates he kept looking back at her, still not believing that she agreed to come with him to see Sora. What was he supposed to say? _Hi, I'm Roxas, and I'm Sora's Nobody. I want to tell you my story so that someone will remember me for who I am, because everyone who does know is a Nobody, too, and they won't live long enough for someone to remember me._

Roxas just knew Kairi would have never followed him if that was what he told her. She didn't even know what a Nobody was; maybe she should never know.

"Where is this place?" she asked.

He felt his hand being squeezed and looked down to see her grasping his hand tightly. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the mansion.

"He's in there?"

He nodded. This world was a mirror image of the computerized world he had been living in, and everything was where they should be; of course Sora would be in there, sleeping in the memory pod.

"Why? Why's he here? Where is here?"

He looked up at the darkly lit sky. _This_ was what Twilight Town looked like at night. Strangely it filled him with wonder; he had taken everything for granted when living in the digital world but now that he was back in reality… _This_ was reality.

"Roxas?"

He sighed deeply and looked at her. "We're just outside of Twilight Town. This is an abandoned mansion. People say it's haunted with ghosts, but it's not. It's just…there's people inside."

"People? There's more than just Sora? You mean-"

"Let's go inside, Kairi. I'll bring you to him."

He pulled her inside the mansion, his hand holding onto hers just as tightly.

**XXX**

"Donald? Goofy? Roxas, what's wrong with them? What are they doing inside those things? Are they…are they sleeping?"

She stared at the large pods lined up down the hall and she gently touched the one Donald was encased in. Kairi looked at Roxas, who had stopped several feet ahead; he was standing in the center of the hall, staring straight ahead at nothing.

"Roxas?"

_Something's bothering him._

"They're asleep. They're simply…waiting for the time to wake up," he said. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully; Roxas was hiding something.

"Why? What are they waiting for? Where's Sora?"

"Sora? He's…I don't…I don't know how to explain this…"

He turned around and looked at her. Kairi shuddered as she stared at his solemn eye; she quickly turned away and glanced at Donald.

"S-so they're waiting for Sora, a-aren't they?" she asked. A quick peek at Roxas, and a sharp intake of breath later she looked back at Donald, then at Goofy. He was still watching her. "Why?"

She shivered again as she heard footsteps nearing her. A sixth sense warned her of a presence behind her, at the left side, and she turned to see Roxas looking at the glass pods. He had an intense expression on his face, then he closed his eyes and sighed.

Kairi opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but decided against it. Silence filled the hall as she quickly looked at Donald and Goofy but nothing had changed. She shivered; they looked dead. What horrendous thing happened to them? What happened to Sora? Riku? Where'd they go, if these two were here, in these glass pods?

Questions were still unanswered, and Roxas had the answers. She took a deep breath and turned to him but his eyes were still closed, silencing her instantly.

_He looks like Sora, a different Sora._

She frowned slightly but her thoughts were right. If nothing else, Roxas looked like Sora's identical twin brother, minus the hair, the permanent pout, and the shadows in his eyes. But they weren't twins; she's never heard of Roxas until a few days ago.

_Why can't I stop wondering about you? The longer I think about you, daydream about you, the more I feel like I know you. But I know nothing about you. You know me, you know Sora, you look like Sora, but you're…you're still a mystery. Who are you?_

Kairi sighed, looked down at her feet, then back up to his face. He had turned his head and his eyes were open, again looking at something. She followed his gaze but there was nothing spectacular to see.

He was waiting.

"Roxas…can you…can you show me…"

He looked at her, still waiting.

"Can you show me…Sora?"

_Show me who you are…make the questions go away._

Once the thought went through her mind she looked down at the floor. Why did she think that?

"Let me show you," he whispered.

**XXX**

He had been waiting for her. He had been waiting for her forever.

It came to him while she tried to understand the circumstances Sora and his friends were in. He stood there, trying to imagine what she would say when she finally saw _him_. Roxas tried to think whether this really was a good idea, but as the minutes wore on, his thoughts turned increasingly to _her_.

"_Kairi…I know you. You're that girl he likes."_

When he lived obliviously in Twilight Town, he wondered if there was something wrong in his life. Hayner, Olette, and Pence always made him happy, accepted, but when he sat in his room or walked down the streets alone, he felt isolated from the rest of the city. He felt different. He always had.

"_We have come for you, my liege."_

He wasn't one of them. He wasn't like Hayner, Olette, or Pence. He was a Nobody.

"_It's funny…suddenly I feel like I don't know myself at all. I guess I would like to know…what do you know about me that I don't?"_

"_You…you were never supposed to exist, Roxas."_

"_What? How could you even say such a thing…even if it where true?"_

Roxas wasn't supposed to exist. The cold face of reality was a terrible adversary and he didn't know how to defeat it.

_Axel. I've got to find Axel._

He had been lucky. Axel had snuck back into his Twilight Town and this time Roxas able to communicate with him. They were able to talk like old friends again.

"_So what is this you want to do?"_

"_I…I want to get out of this world…and meet someone, someone who can remember me."_

"_Roxas, I'm alive. I remember you. Why can't it be me?"_

"_Because we're not supposed to exist. We're supposed to…we'll…disappear."_

"_Don't listen to those lies they've been feeding you, Roxas. People will remember us!"_

"_Will they? I get the feeling people hate us. Isn't that why DiZ did this to me? Isn't that why I'm going to disappear?"_

"_You-you're not going to disappear! Stop thinking these negative thoughts, Roxas; they're bad for you. I'll get you out of here, Roxas. I can promise you that."_

"_It's too late, Axel. I do want to meet Sora, but before that happens…there's someone else I want to meet."_

"_Who?"_

When he talked with Naminé in her room, he remembered all those drawings she had taped to the walls. There were so many of them, of him and of Sora, and of what each of them had done. But the one drawing that really caught his eye was of Kairi.

_You're that girl he likes._

And then it came to him.

All he needed was to find her. He needed to find her…because he wanted to know who she was. She seemed far removed from everything that had been happening, but, as he stared at the picture, her image, a sense of presence, suddenly filled in part of the emptiness inside him. She was a missing link in his-Sora's chain of memories. She was part of Sora's core, and therefore his.

He had been waiting for her forever to fill in what was left of him.

**XXX**

Author's Endnote: W00t! Christmas is coming! Tomorrow!

Please review. Thoughts and opinions and suggestions are deeply appreciated.


End file.
